1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for dispensing of lottery tickets and to the method of doing the same, and more specifically, to such a system which allows a player to obtain and electronically "play" a lottery ticket of the type which has a plurality of normally closed window areas for hiding play symbols printed on an inside portion thereof. Such tickets can normally be determined to include a winning array of such symbols only upon the opening of the windows to reveal the play symbols thereunder. A dispensing machine of the system includes a plurality of display areas which directly correspond to the window areas of a ticket which has been dispensed and enables a player to selectively electronically "play" each window area to cause the play symbols thereunder to be seen in the respective display area of the machine without physically opening the normally closed windows of the lottery ticket.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is known to make "pull-tab" lottery tickets of the type which contain a plurality of windows such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,016. As taught therein, one way of manufacturing such tickets is to use of two sheets of paper which are joined together by a specific form of pattern gluing. A plurality of play symbols is printed on a rear sheet while the front sheet has a plurality of perforated die closures which define a plurality of windows. The windows are positioned so that when the front and rear sheets are glued together and when the windows are opened along the perforated edges, the play symbols are revealed. The glue is applied to the sheets in a pattern so that when the tickets are assembled, the windows are not bonded to the rear sheet.
However, as expressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,016, one problem that could exist with such tickets is that a losing ticket could be relatively easily and fraudulently changed into a winning ticket. Prior to the design disclosed therein, the winning symbols could be removed from a previously honored winning ticket and inserted into a losing ticket. The paper which contained the winning symbols could be removed from the winning ticket by making cuts along the four edges of the window down to the middle level of the paper. Similarly, a losing set of symbols would be removed from the losing ticket. Once the winning symbols have been placed in the losing ticket, it is difficult to detect the alteration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,016 discloses a means for altering the original design of the tickets to help eliminate such fraudulent reconstruction of the tickets. The improved tickets still include the front sheet, the rear sheet, means for bonding the front sheet and the rear sheet together, and a plurality of plurality of symbols on the rear sheet facing the front sheet, which could include a set of winning symbols. However, they further include security indicia on the side of the rear sheet corresponding to the set of winning symbols. Specifically, the security indicia includes a pattern on a portion of the rear sheet that contains the winning symbols which pattern extends beyond the winning window and is partially covered by the front sheet. Another embodiment disclosed therein includes an additional or alternative security indicia in the form of a winning prize code which can also be printed on the rear sheet in a location not related to the winning symbols and not aligned with the windows. In either case, the sheets of the "winning" ticket could be separated to confirm that it is truly a winning ticket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,033 discloses a gaming machine and game coupons that could be in a form that is similar to the "pull-tab" lottery tickets discussed above. In some prior art machines, the player purchases game coupons from a pull-tab machine by inserting cash or game tokens. Such game coupons themselves are commonly packaged in game coupon sets. Each game coupon set comprises a known total of individual game coupons and a known number of winning game coupons within the total. Individual game coupons usually formed of two sheets: a facing sheet and a backing sheet. Serrated windows or tabs are formed in the facing sheet of the coupon. The backing sheet is imprinted with game symbols or other representations beneath the tabs. To determine whether or not an individual game coupon was a winning coupon, a player peeled back the tab to reveal the game symbols. Winning game coupons could be redeemed for cash winnings, game tokens or other prizes with a cashier.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,033, an important disadvantage of such gaming machines was the significant time and effort being consumed, by both the player and the proprietor of the gaming establishment, in redeeming the winning coupons for cash. During the time it took to cash in a winning coupon, a player could lose interest in the game. Accordingly, the improved gaming machine and game coupons included means for the player to continue playing a game without interruption by the utilization of the winning game coupons at the machine itself to purchase additional game credits. The improved means taught therein includes providing a bar code on the back surface of a single, removed playing portion of a "preferred" game coupon which includes only the single playing portion or window. The single playing portion is said to be advantageous because it can be provided such a bar code and is in a single sheet form that can easily be inserted into a game coupon reader, as part of a bill validator, for verification and for issuing game credits. The pull-tab lottery tickets discussed above, which include a plurality of windows or tabs, are not considered preferred in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,033 because of the difficulty of providing any coupon verification device that could accept lottery coupons or tickets that have a plurality of opened windows or tabs extending from the surface thereof. In any case, the bar code of these improved game coupons are said to include ten decimal digits which can be decoded by a standard bar code reader. The information in the bar code appears to be generally limited to the game set or lot number which is identical for all of the game coupons of the set, to a unique coupon identification code that can be recorded to insure that the same coupon is not verified twice and to a prize code indicating the number of prize credits associated with the winning game coupon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,975 discloses a different electronic gaming apparatus that includes yet another form of pull-tab coupon configuration. Rather than individual tickets, the game apparatus includes a primary strip of a suitable substrate in the form of a roll. Indicia is printed in individual strip segments. Upon actuation of the apparatus, a segment of the strip is severed to provide a strip segment or game card and is dispensed. If the indicia on the severed segment corresponds to a winning indicia, the player would win the game and the game card or ticket could be redeemed for winnings. The preferred configuration includes a duplicate copy of each severed segment of the primary strip, containing the same indicia as the primary strip segment, which is maintained on a duplicate strip and stored for purposes of later auditing. This second strip is in roll form that is to be stored within the apparatus.
Although this overall configuration, including a primary strip in roll form and a secondary strip in roll form for retention within the apparatus, may experience limited acceptance in the gaming art, U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,975 does disclose addition features which are of interest. The secondary strip of indicia also contains a bar code printed on the back thereof corresponding to the indicia printed on each strip segment that is to be dispensed. The apparatus includes an electronic display and means for reading and storing the information of the bar code so that, as the segment of the strip is dispensed from the apparatus, the results of the play of the dispensed segment is simultaneously displayed on the screen. It should be noted that the segments of the strip are similar to the preferred game coupons of U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,033 having only one window or tab. They appear to include only one play area which is revealed after the segment is separated from the primary strip and dispensed from the apparatus. Accordingly, when the segment of the strip is dispensed, the indicia of the of the entire play area is displayed on the screen.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,290,033 and 5,377,975 include interesting pull-tab lottery ticket dispensing machines that employ game coupons or strip segments that include bar code information for the purposes disclosed therein. However, both of these configurations are missing one of the primary features of the type of pull-tab lottery ticket disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,016. Many popular pull-tab lottery tickets include the multi-window configuration having a plurality of play areas that enhance the playing enjoyment of the player. With such a pull-tab lottery ticket, the player has several chances to win within the same lottery ticket and, by allowing the separate and selective opening of the plurality of windows or tabs, there is heighten suspense during the play as each window or tab is opened. Such pull-tab lottery tickets having a plurality of windows or tabs are very popular and have experienced wide acceptance among players because each ticket appears to provide multiple opportunities to win.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,677,553 and 4,725,079 disclose instant lottery tickets that include different forms of numerical or bar codes on the surfaces thereof to assist in the verification and validation of winning tickets but are not directed to nor configured for the preferred pull-tab lottery tickets having a plurality of windows as discussed above.